A Twist in the Fate's Design
by and-so-the-feels-begin
Summary: In a world where Adrien Agreste was never born, who would take the mantle of being Chat Noir- Ladybug's partner in defeating Hawkmoth? It would have to be someone who nobody would suspect, somebody no one would pay enough attention to even consider him as a possible fit for the job.
1. The Cogs Start Moving

Ten minutes.

He had already wasted ten minutes on trying to think of what he could use in this classroom as a model for his new assignment that was due to be completed by the end of the school day. And since this was the last class for the day... he was becoming slightly anxious at this point.

With only twenty minutes left, the daunting tick -from the clock behind him- that came with each second that passed, made the assignment feel almost impossible to finish in time, without even any inspiration to work with.

He looked to his friend's' progress for some sort of revelation. Alix had decided to take off her sneaker and place it on the table to draw the laces in detail. Juleka resigned to recreating the image of some empty paint tubes with a marker. And Rose, well, she was kind of going by her own rules and decided instead of performing the task they were given originally she wanted to try folding paper swans from pages ripped out of her sketch pad. He thought carefully about what he could try doing, with his own artistic flair, but nothing came to mind.

Inspiration was always something that Nathanael struggled with. Usually, it came to him at random moments throughout the day while thinking to himself absentmindedly and then hits him like a train, allowing the creative juices to start flowing, and the cogs in his brain to start moving. However, the sudden burst of ideas would usually be short lived and would leave him unable to finish a piece that was once a very passionate project in his mind, but eventually became more of a choir than an enjoyable past time.

He looked around the room once again in hopes of finding an eye-catching muse, when suddenly a flash of light hit the corner of his eye. He turned to see sunlight emitting from the window on the left wall of the window, reflecting against dark blue hair.

Marinette.

Once again he was distracted from his work by the girl who stole his heart two years ago and didn't even have the self-awareness to realise the hold she had on him. Although that was hardly her fault, since he rarely ever talked to her beyond the casual 'Hello' or 'do you have a spare pencil I could borrow?'. Most of the time he spent the energy he saved for dwelling on his crush to just admiring her from afar.

He was very fond of her blue highlights. And, though he would never say so to another living being so long as he lived, he often wondered how they would look in contrast to his bed's pillow, with her hair sprawled across the white fabric. However, his admiration for her went far beyond typical teenage hormonal desires.

The way she smiled. They way she laughed. The nervous tone in her voice that rises whenever she is forced to speak in front of the class. The way all hesitance towards showing an ounce of confidence leaves her when faced with the wrath of Chloe Bourgeous. The way she managed to trip over everything in her wake without fail. It seemed no matter what she did, she always could catch his attention without any effort involved.

Her beauty was often the source of many of his artistic inspirations. He once painted the moon reflecting off of a wide ocean to try and recreate the colour of her eyes. As you can already tell, he had a habit of being a hopeless romantic at times.

He sketched his crush an endless amount of times and usually through the end products away in fear of someone discovering them.

The thought of drawing her once again for this assignment ran across his mind. He didn't have to show it to anyone he didn't want to. Only his teacher would see it when he handed it up and once he received it back along with his grade, he could quickly dispose of it, without leaving a trace for his classmates to see.

When glancing back at Marinette once more, he realised he would rather dedicate the next twenty minutes to capturing her concentrated stare, above anything else in the room.

Twelve minutes passed without any interruptions disturbing Nathanael from his progress when suddenly a cheerful voice pulled him out of his work bubble and back to reality.

"Hey, Nathanael!"

When Nathanael raised his head in response blue eyes met blue and for a moment he became paralysed.

"Uh..."

Marinette set her pencil case and sketch pad down on the joined desk, and sat closely to his left.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting beside you. People were getting a bit too loud over there to be able to think straight."

Nathanael finally pulled himself out of his state of shock and realised that his teacher was long gone from the classroom and the rise in volume from his peers was evident of that.

"Nathanael?" Marinette said, catching his attention and making him realise that he had yet to answer her.

"O-oh, it's fine. Don't... worry about it,"

He felt uncomfortable and nervous as if saying the wrong thing might make her recoil from him in terror. And so, he did his best to not say anything and finish his piece in silence.

Unfortunately for Nathanael, his plan to keep quiet to avoid any unnecessary conversation was short lived.

"What are you drawing?" Marinette suddenly asked, attempting to begin some small talk.

Nathanael then realised the dangerous reality of Marinette possibly seeing his sketch of her and began to panic.

"It's-uh-nothing!" he stuttered out while scrambling to shove the drawing into his bag, out of her line of vision.

Marinette seemed surprised at his outburst but quickly became apologetic, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude..."

Nathanael instantly regretted the way he handled the situation when seeing the worry and confusion in Marinette's eyes from his sudden outburst. "No, don't feel bad. It's just... just as bit personal, sorry."

Marinette smiled in unspoken understanding, "It's okay, I get it."

Wanting to escape the awkward aftermath of his actions, Nathanael tried stirring the conversation in a new direction, "What are you drawing?"

Marinette smiled for the third time then reached forward to nudge her fingers against a hair clip in the shape of a butterfly, which made Nathanael wonder how he never noticed her placing it on the desk.

"It's beautiful," he said, and he meant it. It had a beautiful pattern created with tiny handheld brush strokes, of the colours white and pastel pink.

Marinette beamed at his reaction, "Thanks! I made it myself."

The conversation moved on much more swiftly between the two from then on. So much so, that they had completely forgotten to finish their assignments before the end of class.

Well, fuck.

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	2. Let the Bliss Last

The school bell acted like an alarm clock, waking Nathanael from his dreamlike state of bliss. After years of admiring her from afar, he was finally able to manage to carry a conversation with his crush. They talked about what plans they had for summer vacation which was just two weeks around the corner.

She told him about a fashion show that was coming up in August, hosted by Paris' most prestige designer, Gabriel Agreste. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she explained the layout of the event to him and Nathanael wished he could go with her, just to see that same sparkle again.

He told her about all of his unfinished paintings he was planning to get around to. She insisted that he explained each of them in detail to her. However, they were cut short when class ended and they had to move on to their next subject.

Before they separated, Marinette made him promise to finish the conversation the next time they saw each other.

The rest of his classes flew by in a foggy haze clouded by blue eyes and soft laughter that refused to leave Nathanael's thoughts. All he could concentrate on was how amazing it would be if the new development in the dynamic of his relationship with his crush became a regular thing.

He thought about talking to her in class before the teacher barks at them to sit down. He thought about sitting next to her during lunch and make small talk about the disgusting excuses for food that the cafeteria conjured up for the students each day. Or, even better, they could become close enough to spend time together outside of school.

He knew he was getting his hopes up way too high, but he couldn't help himself. For years he thought he would never have the nerve to say more than two whole sentences to his crush. And just today, he spent ten minutes talking with her about their interests and creative ideas. He was in seventh heaven.

Once the school day ended, Nathanael along with his classmates rushed to the locker rooms and gathered his books in time just before the hallways became crowded with students. After stepping out of the school doors, he instantly felt the heat of the sun against his thick hair. It travelled down his back and warmed him from head to toe. He loved the sun. Admittedly, he didn't spend much time outside to make the most of it, but he was always grateful for the times when he could enjoy it while walking home.

He stayed near the school entrance as students passed him by, wishing to drench himself in the sun's warm rays when all of a sudden- a voice calling his name startles him from his serene half awake trance.

He turned around in response to the voice and was surprised to see a figure with blue hair and pink skinny jeans running towards him.

"Don't go yet." She said when she finally caught up to him. Nathanael stared incredulously as Marinette took a moment to catch her breath. Did she really sprint all the way to the front school doors just to talk to him?

"Do you want to walk home together?" She happily beamed after fully composing herself. Nathanael was caught off guard, "What?" was all he could think to say.

He must have been imagining things, but Nathanael could have sworn he saw her face turning pink, "Well..." she began in what could be considered a sheepish tone. "I often see you walking home in the same direction that I do, and since I hadn't talked to you much before today, I figured it might have been weird if I had tried to start a conversation just like that." This couldn't be real.

"I-uhm..." He didn't know what to say in response. This was too good to be true, but here she was looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes waiting for his reply. It left him at a loss for words, so he just nodded in response.

The continued where they left off in art class. Nathanael explained in detail all of the different paintings in his room he had yet to finish. He told him the themes and inspiration that went into every piece. She listened, nodding every few seconds for him to continue.

They both walked at a slow pace in a kind of hidden agreement that they both wanted this conversation to last as long as possible. When they came into view of Marinette's parent's bakery, they continued to walk slowly, wanting to take every second they could to continue the conversation.

It wasn't until Nathanael felt a drop of water hit his cheek that their little bubble popped and pulled them back down to earth. He looked up and realised that as they were talking, clouds began to fill the previously spotless blue sky.

Ignoring the sinking feeling of disappointment settling in his chest, Nathanael warned Marinette that they needed to move faster. They made it to the bakery just before the rain started to give its worsed.

Marinette asked him to wait inside the door until she found him an umbrella before she disappeared upstairs. He did his best not to be a bother and stay out of the way of the line of customers coming in and out. He saw an Asian lady with black hair working the till and figured she must have been Marinette's mother.

She made eye contact with him once and smiled but he didn't react quick enough to smile back. After that, he did his best not to look at her in case she thought he was rude.

He was relieved when he saw Marinette finally return down the stairs. She carried in her hand a black umbrella and stopped to look outside before addressing him.

"How far do you have to go?"

"Just two more miles."

He saw concern gloss over her eyes, "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Oh, definitely," He smiled reassuringly, "I've walked for longer in way worse weather before." This didn't seem to make her any happier but she nodded all the same.

They stood in awkward silence for a few moments, both unsure of what to say next. Nathanael stepped towards the door, "I guess I'd better get going now."

"Okay."

He only made it a few steps out the door when Marinette's voice called him once again.

"Hey, Nathanael?"

He turned around to face her. "I-uhm..." she seemed suddenly sheepish when facing him.

"Yes?" he encouraged. Marinette bit her lip, "Are you doing anything Saturday?"

Nathanael felt his breath hitch in his throat, "No."

"Do you wanna hang out or something?"

He must be dreaming. "I-uh..."

"I mean you don't have to if you don't want to!" she quickly added.

"No!" he replied just as fast, "I-I'd love to!"

Marinette's face lit up, "Really?"

The walk home for Nathanael was spent in utter bliss. He couldn't hear the rain hitting against the top of his umbrella, or feel the cold wind blowing against his cheeks. He was too excited to think of much else besides his potential 'date' with Marinette.

They could go to the movies, walk around town, maybe get something to eat. He knew it was probably meant to be just a friendly meet up but he couldn't stop himself from thinking that the way she asked him kind of implied a romantic intention.

When he finally came to face his bedroom door, he walked in and lazily threw his bag to the corner on his left side. He allowed his body to fall unceremoniously backwards onto his bed. He left out a long sigh, reveling in his happiness.

Since when had he ever been so lucky before?

Most of his school life up until now has consisted of a series of tragic mishaps, ruthless bullying, and unrequited love. Did the universe just decide that maybe after all of his misery he deserved a little reward for sticking out such an unfair existence for so long? Because if so, he hoped it would continue being so charitable for at least a little while longer.

He rolled over onto his side to find a comfier position. As he did this he saw, leaning against one of his red walls, one of his many unfinished works.

This one was of a masked superhero with a cape, standing at the very top of the Eifel Tower, watching over Paris.

He remembered telling Marinette that he would show some of his pieces to her once they were finished. This one was practically finished, all he had to do wad put some shading on the metal bars supporting the Tower and it's mysterious vigilante.

After a few more seconds of soaking in the soft feeling of his bed sheets beneath him, Nathanael decided to get up and start working on the piece again. He picked it up, placed it on his desk and sat down only to realise that his sketching pencils weren't in their regular place. Confused, he turned in his chair to scan his room for any trace of them.

He spotted them laying on the ground near the radiator that was wedged between his bed and wardrobe. He wouldn't who put them there and stood up to walk towards them. When kneeling down to pick the case of pencils up, he noticed a small, black container - shapped like a hexagon- sitting on top of it.

Out of curiosity, he picked it up and realised it was made of wood. When taking a look closer he saw some Chinese writing engraved on top of it.

If Nathanael wasn't confused enough before, he certainly was now. What would a box like this be doing in his room? He certainly didn't remember it being in here before.

Nathanael then realised he had yet to open the box and maybe in doing so he would find some answers. But when he flipped it open, he was left with more questions if anything.

Inside the box was a black ring with a tiny paw print in the centre and two tiny triangles that looked like cat ears on top.

He nearly got up to ask his mom if she happened to drop it in his room while tidying and know what it was for. But, for some strange reason, Nathanael felt he shouldn't. Something -though he had no clue what- was telling him that this ring was special. The idea of showing it to others felt wrong and made him slightly anxious as if the world would crumble around him if he were to share this weird little piece of jewelry with anyone.

Even more curious now, Nathanael decided to try it on. He took it out of the box and put it on the third finger of his right hand. What happened next caught Nathanael off guard.

A bright light emitted from the ring, forcing Nathanael to shut his eyes. He didn't dare open them, too scared of being blinded, until he saw the light dim slightly from behind his eyelids and a strange voice talking to him.

"About time! That box was getting too stuffy. Say, kid, do you got any cheese?"

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	3. The Birth of Good and Evil

"What am I doing here?"

Marinette looked around completely dumbfounded with all that had happened earlier that day which led her to where she is now, standing on the Eifel Tower, dressed in a skin-tight, red -and black polka dotted- latex suit.

'Tikki', the tiny self-claimed kwami -who emerged from the small red box she found in her room- told her that she was destined to become a vigilante superhero who fights for justice and she must go to the Eifel Tower to meet her new superhero partner. 'It's always best if partners can meet each other before having to go into battle together,' she said.

Marinette was finding it difficult to grasp the reality of the situation. She must have been dreaming. She must. There was no way any of this craziness was actually happening. Just a few hours earlier, the only exciting plan she had for the week was spending more time with the cute red-head in her Art class. And now she had to somehow fit crime-fighting into her schedule.

She wasn't cut out for this. Alya would have been a far better choice with her already huge admiration for superheroes and her even bigger passion for helping others. Just the other day she said to Marinette -after getting into a screaming match with Chloe over a snarky comment she made of another classmate's speech impediment- that 'the only way evil can win is if the good stay quiet.'

She nervously jolted, forgetting her thought process, when she was surprised by the sound of footsteps behind her.

She turned around to see a black silhouette stumbling to find their balance while standing on one of the Tower's supporting bars, before carefully jumping down to stand on the metal floor -used for tourists to see the city light from above- that she was currently occupying.

The metal wall which he had first landed on was hiding the large buildings behind it from Marinette's view. All that could be seen from it was a golden hue, lighting up the sky and illuminating the boy walking towards her.

She didn't dare move and even began to hold her breath without realising. The boy hesitated with every step he took, probably feeling uncomfortable under her critical stare.

However hard she tried, she couldn't move her eyes away from him. The new arrival of the stranger made her thoughts come to a squeaking halt and allowed numerous questions to clog her mind like busy traffic. It must have been her partner, but who was he? Who was under that mask? Was he the same age as her? Has he only just started the whole vigilante thing today, like she did? Or is this something he has had years of practice in?

When he finally came to stand two feet in front of her, she was finally able to give him a good once-over. He was wearing a tight latex suit, much like her own- only it was all black. He wore black combat boots and to finish off the look had what looked like black cat ears over his bright red hair. The only colourful thing about his outfit was a shiny golden bell that hung from his color.

He had shy, blue eyes that were tentatively looking her up and down , probably doing the same assessment she was.

"So... I'll take it you're Ladybug?"

She nearly snorted. "No. I just saw some spotted latex and decided to make a body suit with it."

He snickered at her sarcasm before smirking, "Uh-huh, so where does the mask come in?"

"Aesthetic pleasure."

...

Gabriel sat on his bed, propping his elbows on his lap and holding his head in his hands. His shoulders were trembling under the heavy weight of his guilt.

The same thing happened every year on May the eleventh. Sure, he would have his fair share of self-loathing during the other months. But it was always this particular day that all of his worst regrets would come to haunt him. As this day was the anniversary of his wife's death.

Not only that, but it would have also been the birthday of their first child if they hadn't died with her in the delivery room.

It was really a huge shock for everyone that the beautiful and kind Mrs. Agreste would have such a tragic death. Luckily, no one had thought to compare her sudden decease to the strange disappearance of Paris' famous superheroine, Hawkmoth.

But Gabriel knew from the very beginning about her secret identity. He never worried about her safety when she was fighting crime as a self-claimed hero. Back then he believed she was indestructible, nothing could kill her. Nothing... except giving birth to his child.

He took off his glasses and ran a hand through his white hair, as he leaned back to lay on the bed. But the cool sheets did nothing to suppress his burning headache. He felt desperate.

Fourteen years. Fourteen years had passed and he still couldn't numb the pain. Of course, he knew of one way to take away his resentment, but he always believed his wife would be strongly against him for even considering it.

Sometimes he wondered if he even cared about her disapproval of his plans. He couldn't help but think would even mind if she hated him, so long as she was there, safe. It was at this point that he allowed his mind to go to dangerous places. He thought of all the most precious moments he had spent with her. The tremble in his voice when they said their first 'hello'. The utter love and admiration in her eyes as they made their wedding vows. But most of all, the excited laughter and nervous chills they both experienced when the doctor confirmed her pregnancy.

For years he never allowed himself to think back on those memories of her. He knew they would only lead him to do something reckless. But after years of suppressing his emotions, years spent sleeping alone mourning over the promise of a happy family that was taken from him. He had reached his tipping point at fourteen years of unending pain.

He decided he needed to finally start acting on the crazy plan that had been buried in the back of his mind for so long. And when he did, he knew there was no going back.

...

"Leonard."

"What?" He tried his best to keep his expression as one of incredulous disgust, but that was hard to do while watching her laughing in such a giddy and free state.

"You look like a Leonard!" Marinette exclaimed through her giggles.

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow beneath his mask while sporting a look of dumbfounded confusion.

"You think me name is Leonard?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded.

"Not even close." He shook his head in mock disappointment, "Seriously?"

"Seriously!"She smiled so brightly that she gave off the impression that she might burst into another fit of giggles soon. But instead, she decided to start a new topic, "Okay, what do you think my name is?"

"H held her gaze with a playful smirk and then looked her up and down before answering, "I'm gonna say... Victoria!"

She smiled, "Although that is a lovely name, mine isn't quite so English."

"Hmm..." He scratched his chin pretending to think deeply. "What about... Gertrude?"

She pouted, "I liked your first guess better."

He chuckled softly, then followed her gaze to the beautiful scenery Paris had to offer. They sat in silence for a while, admiring the bright lights reflecting against the River Seine.

It was really a night to remember, even if they weren't spending it as superheroes, hiding their identities by using the magic of small 'kwami' creatures- that could somehow fly without the necessity of wings.

The scenery was captivating and Marinette nearly lost her self-awareness looking at the beauty of it all. That is until Chat Noir grabbed a hold of her attention once again.

"Ladybug?"

"Yes?" She answered, turning to look at him.

She saw him bite his lip with the scarce light that was surrounding them at this time of night. "If I ever did guess your name right... would you even let me know?"

She smiled warmly at her partner, before shifting her attention back to the scenery and giving her answer in a low voice, "No."

...

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I wanted it to be a bit longer, but I also wanted to get it out for you guys today. Thank you all for reading 3

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